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redleg2006:
11:31 amMr. Krivsky, how is Adam Dunn coming along with the transition from left field to first base? James

cinguest:
11:32 amKrivsky: Adam is working very with Bucky Dent at first base, particularly in regards to his footwork. he has a good teacher and adam is a good athelte and we're confident he will make a smooth transition.

Base_Ball_2:
11:32 amDo you think Jerry Narron will carry 12 pitchers out of Spring Training? With so many multi-positioned players on the roster, I don't see the need for the extra bench player. Any thoughts?

cinguest:
11:33 amKrivsky: From all indications and talking to Jerry, he prefers to carry 12. however, that is all subject to change depending on health and performance. If we'd open with 12 on Opening day, it doesn't neccessarily mean we'll stay with 12 all year.

n84reds:
11:33 amThank you for your time. My question concerns third base -- what is your opinion on Rich Aurilia in regards to his potential this season, and will Edwin Encarnacion's status depend on how he dos this Spring, i.e. could he start the season in AAA?

cinguest:
11:34 amKrivsky: Nothing will be handed to Encarnacion this spring. however, going into camp - we are looking for him to play well and continue to improve. Aurilia is a quality veteran who still has a lot of game left in him. It will be up to Jerry Narron to decide how he is best utilized...

cinguest:
11:34 ameither in a starting position or utility role.

Base_Ball_2:
11:34 amDoes Tony Womack have a chance to be the opening day roster as the starting second baseman?

cinguest:
11:35 amKrivsky: Absolutely. However, there is strong competition from others including Freel, Aurilia and non roster invite frank Menechino.

riverasave:
11:35 amDo you think that your time with the Twins will help you run the Reds, or are they two completely different teams in the way they are run?

cinguest:
11:37 amKrivsky: In my 11 years with the Twins, I learned an awful lot. They do things the right way. Due to our similar market size, many of the same practices will be employed. I can't say enough about my time there and working with Terry Ryan and many others to try and make the Twins a consistent contender over a period of time...

cinguest:
11:37 amwe certainly hope to do the same in Cincinnati.

Ron_Diersing:
11:37 amMr Krivsky, thanks for taking the time for this chat. My question would be what is your draft philosophy? Do you the Reds taking more college pitchers that have gotten a bit more past the injury nexus?

cinguest:
11:38 amKrivsky: My draft philosophy is to take the best available player, regardless of high school, college, position player or pitcher. i will leave the final decision to chris buckley and his staff. I certainly plan to sit in on all of our meetings and ask plenty of questions and do a lot of listening....

cinguest:
11:39 amKrivsky: Chris is very experienced and comes from a strong scouting background with the blue jays. I'm very pleased to have him on board and I'm confident we will have productive drafts in the near future.

n84reds:
11:40 amI have read about your first phone conversation with Ken Griffey Jr. What was that like, and as you look back now does it seem funny?

cinguest:
11:42 amKrivsky: Had I known it was him, I would have handled it a little differently. the timing of his call could not have come at a more hectic time because i was completing the Adam Dunn contract and was scheduled for a radio interview in 5 minutes in Cincy. When I clicked over, I had no idea who the call was or where it was coming from.

cinguest:
11:44 amKrivsky: And for privacy reasons, Ken didn't want to ID himself because all he knew was he was retrurning a call to someone named 'Wayne.' Because i was in such a hurry to finish Dunn's deal, I wasn't exactly making a postive first impression. when i got to sarasota, he and i had a good laugh about it.

Jason_Coe:
11:44 amWill ryan freel be our starting second basemen this season, or will he also get some starts in the outfield aswell?

cinguest:
11:45 amKrivsky: That will be determined in spring training. the final call will be up to Jerry. Either way, he is a very valuable member of our team.

Dave_Hall:
11:45 amI was impressed with past performances of Luke Hudson but he had injuries. What is his status and is it likely he will have a future with the team?

cinguest:
11:46 amKrivsky: Luke was outrighted off the 40 man roster and will be trying to make it as a non-roster player.

cugalmd:
11:46 amI was very pleased ot see you hired Squeaky Parker, who has had an accomplished career in scouting. In what capacity do you see the team using him- eg, advance scouting, amateur, minors?

cinguest:
11:47 amKrivsky: Squeaky was a tremendous addition. He will cover the major league teams in Tucson for spring training. Once the season starts, he will primarily cover the Southern League and be available to me for special assignments and also some major league coverage in September.

joncross2000:
11:48 amWhat are you seeing in spring training that is encouraging to you? Discouraging?

cinguest:
11:49 amKrivsky: The thing I'm most encouraged by is the overall positve mood and approach by all of our players and staff. They are getting a lot of quality work in. For the most part, we have been free of any significant injuries...knock on wood!

swattotrot:
11:49 amhomer bailey continues to hyped up by the media, with our weakness in the rotation is it a possiblity for him to see some time in the major leagues this sept

cinguest:
11:51 amKrivsky: It would not be out of the question. However, I am not one who likes to rush young pitching to the major leagues. Realistically, he will start the season most likely in Sarasota. His performance will dictate whether we move him up during the season. The important thing for Homer to continue to develop and build arm strength and stamina.

dpoynter:
11:51 amHow is Paul Wilson progressing and what are the chances he will return to 2004 form?

cinguest:
11:52 amKrivsky: Paul is progressign nicely. But I hesitate to talk about any time table for his return. We will take it one day at a time, and do what is best for Paul so he can be a key contributor to our staff at some point during the season.

Dave_Hall:
11:52 amI am thrilled to see past Reds helping out in Spring Training and supporting the team. Is there any more on the horizon we can look forward to seeing.

cinguest:
11:54 amKrivsky: So far, this program of bringing back ex-Reds has proven to be very positive and beneficial. I think we're on to something that will continue. We really feel that many of the former Reds have a lot to offer in terms of relating to our younger players and helping them understand what it takes to win.

walter_wiseman:
11:55 amI am curious about the signing of so many over 35 veteran players. Is this part of your philosophy or just the best available players this year?

cinguest:
11:56 amKrivsky: My philosophy is one where there is always room for quality veteran type leadership. I know Jerry shares the same idea, particularly as it pertains to his bench. Younger players have a difficult transition coming off the bench when they are used to playing everyday in the minors. In many cases, it is better for that younger player to play every day in AAA to get his neccesary work and development time.

Base_Ball_2:
11:57 amAny chance we could trade for someone like Glen Perkins? Think the twinkies might give him up in the right deal?

cinguest:
11:58 amKrivsky: I am not at liberty to discuss players on other teams. I would prefer not to be fined by Commissioner Selig this early in my new position.

Base_Ball_4:
11:58 amIf you sign Pedro Astacio, where do you see him fitting in and whose place will he take in the rotation?

cinguest:
11:59 amKrivsky: If we sign him, he would come into camp and compete for a one of our starting spots. Who he would replace or beat out would be determined by his spring training performance and the performance of others.

prose14:
12:00 pmPlease tell us you intend to bring some VERSATILITY back to Cincinnati regarding mix of everyday players? This has been one dimensional homerun derby here in Cincy the last few years. Thank you

cinguest:
12:01 pmKrivsky: It is always a positive, especially in the NL...where your bench is made up of players who can play different positions. It gives Jerry Narron a lot of flexibility in the moves he can make during the course of a game.

cinguest:
12:02 pmKrivsky: I wish I could answer more of your questions. On behalf of the Reds, we really appreciate your interest and hope that you will all come out to the ballpark this summer and see some exciting baseball. Hopefully, we'll be able to have another chat and I can answer more of your questions.

Re: Krivsky Chat Log

Two lines of particular interest in that interview:

Krivsky: Nothing will be handed to Encarnacion this spring. however, going into camp - we are looking for him to play well and continue to improve. Aurilia is a quality veteran who still has a lot of game left in him. It will be up to Jerry Narron to decide how he is best utilized... either in a starting position or utility role.
...snip...snip...
Krivsky: My philosophy is one where there is always room for quality veteran type leadership. I know Jerry shares the same idea, particularly as it pertains to his bench. Younger players have a difficult transition coming off the bench when they are used to playing everyday in the minors. In many cases, it is better for that younger player to play every day in AAA to get his neccesary work and development time.

This seems to indicate, to me, that Encarnacion will either start at 3B or go to AAA to play every day. Given his performance in AAA last year (0.936 OPS, 0.388 OBP, 15 HR in 290 AB's), it would seem he has little to prove there, which makes me think that the Reds are really gunning for him to be the starting 3B.

...which makes me think that all the talk about him having to prove himself in spring training is just designed to push him and get him perform at the highest level he can. The logic might be that if they told him right now that the job was his, perhaps he wouldn't work as hard coming into spring training and during spring training to win this position. If he works hard and legitimately wins this position in the spring, they can stick with him all season despite any troubles he has.

Ultimately though, this decision shouldn't be made based on a handful of at bats this spring. His AAA performance last year should earn him at least a half-year of playing time at 3rd this year, if not the full year. We're not going to win this year anyway, so we might as well plug him in there and see what he can do at the major league level. I'd bet he can pull off at least a 0.800 OPS in a full year of playing time. And Aurilia hasn't done that since his amazing year in '01 with the Giants.
-JinAZ

Re: Krivsky Chat Log

Originally Posted by JinAZ

...which makes me think that all the talk about him having to prove himself in spring training is just designed to push him and get him perform at the highest level he can. The logic might be that if they told him right now that the job was his, perhaps he wouldn't work as hard coming into spring training and during spring training to win this position. If he works hard and legitimately wins this position in the spring, they can stick with him all season despite any troubles he has.

I'm not sure I agree with this.

I may be wrong, but I would think that a young player not far removed from the minors would be doing everything in his power during ST to impress the coach. I honestly don't think he needs to be tricked into it.

"Enjoy this Reds fans, you are watching a legend grow up before your very eyes" ... DoogMinAmo on Adam Dunn

Re: Krivsky Chat Log

Originally Posted by TeamBoone

I'm not sure I agree with this.

I may be wrong, but I would think that a young player not far removed from the minors would be doing everything in his power during ST to impress the coach. I honestly don't think he needs to be tricked into it.

...I think that whole argument is just my way of tricking myself into thinking that the Reds aren't mishandling their one legitimate major league ready prospect...
-JinAZ

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